I thought I’d talk a little about jasmine tea, as I happened to mention it in my introduction. It is one of my favorite teas, and it has such a calming effect on me when I drink it – even more so than certain commercial teas that claim to soothe the soul. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of pairing a floral with tea, but I could kiss them.
There’s something wonderfully magical about a flower that blooms and releases its perfume in the evening. Jasminum sambac happens to be such a plant. It is a ‘climber’ with sweet fragrant flowers, “scattered stars” of purest white. J. sambac, or Arabian jasmine, is the type used to scent tea. There are many varieties of jasmine, approximately 200 species in all, but rich J. sambac gives Chinese tea its intoxicating aroma.
The white flowers, “Moonlight of the Grove”, are said to exhale a richer fragrance at night. For this reason, it is critical to gather the blossoms at the right time. Ideally, they are picked at noon in order to bring them to the tea factory around 4:00pm. There they are stored for a few hours in a warm room to encourage the development of the aroma, and then the production of jasmine tea begins around 8:00pm.
About forty pounds of flowers are required to scent a hundred pounds of tea. As you can imagine, jasmine bushes need to be planted in abundance, and so there are areas in the Fujian Province in China that are famous for their jasmine flower production.
Manufacturing jasmine tea requires at least several days, and the finer quality jasmines necessitate up to a month of scenting. Fresh blossoms are introduced to giant piles of tea leaves, and are left to infuse their perfume into the leaves for several hours. When the flowers are ‘spent’, another batch is brought in, and this operation can be repeated a few times.
Sometimes you’ll see jasmine tea with flowers in it, but they only add to the appearance of the tea and not to the taste. Most times, the flowers won’t be present at all in good quality teas, as the blossoms have been blown out of the tea factory by large fans. You can imagine these flowers being scattered to the wind, having done their duty. What they’ve left behind, in my opinion, is much more beautiful than what you’d find in any perfume bottle. And you get the added benefit of tasting this exhilarating potion.
I’ve been very lucky to stumble upon a gorgeous jasmine tea called Dragon Pearl. The leaves have been hand-rolled into little balls, which unfurl in the brewing process. I have a tin of Dragon Pearl Jasmine made by Harney & Sons, and the aroma is indeed enchanting when you take off the lid. I’ve compared it to other commercial jasmines, and there’s absolutely no doubt about the difference in quality. I’ve read about a more costly Yin Hao Jasmine tea, which apparently is scented about eight or nine times, and it can take as long as one month to finish a batch. I desperately want to try it. I might just have to order some online.
Dragon Pearl Jasmine, by Harney & Sons
For more information on Harney & Sons, visit their website, where the above photograph was taken: http://www.harney.com
Questions of the day: Do you have a favorite scented tea? What is it? Do you think that scent is an important part of drinking tea? Do you prefer florals or something more fruity? Or do you believe that tea ought to be left alone, as it has its own distinct fragrance?
Sources: The Fragrant Path, by Louise Beebe Wilder and The Story of Tea, a Cultural History and Drinking Guide, by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss.
And for some listening enjoyment:
Dome Epais le Jasmin – The Flower Duet (Lakme)
